Source: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
[Saba Sports News] FIFA has just officially announced the participating teams and rules for the European qualifying matches for the World Cup. Surprisingly, Russia is not on the list. This means that Russia will once again miss the World Cup due to sanctions, following their absence from the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The Russian men’s football team is ranked 34th in the world, and due to a long-standing ban on participating in international matches, they can only play friendly matches against teams such as Brunei, Serbia, Syria, and Vietnam. Despite achieving good results in friendly matches, they remain unable to change their fate of missing out on international competitions. Russia also faces a ban from participating in the 2024 European Championship. Now, with Russia again absent from the 2026 World Cup European qualifiers, this undoubtedly represents a heavy blow to Russian football. The editor believes that Russian football is not without a future. By actively seeking support in international affairs, strengthening football exchanges and cooperation with other countries, significantly developing youth training systems, and exploring avenues like “Brexit to Asia,” Russian football may be able to escape its predicament and return to the international stage.